A SLAYER IN THE SHADOWS
by christinaspencer
Summary: After season 2, a broken-hearted Buffy goes to Collinsport, Maine, where she meets another vampire with a soul, and the doctor who loves him. But Collinsport is built on a hellmouth, so there's that.
1. part 2

PART ONE  
Collinsport, Maine  
Present Day  
Spoilers-Buffy, thru season 2, dark shadows, barnabas collins and julia hoffman

"Nice place," Buffy sighed. She looked up at the two story inn located  
on the cliff directly across from Widows Hill.

Hank Summers stood on the front porch and knocked on the door. Then he  
looked back at his daughter.  
"She spoke! I can't believe it! Hooray for speech therapy!"  
She pondered and realized she had probably spoken a 1000 words since  
leaving Sunnydale. She just needed to get away, and so accompanied her father on this short business trip. She needed to think about things, to grieve about things, to get away from her life and duties in Sunnydale.

"Sorry, dad. I... stuff going on at home."  
"Buffy, I'm sorry. Well, do you want to talk about it?"  
I know I've got a lot of paperwork I want to catch up on, but this is  
your vacation too. If you want to talk about anything at all-"

"Thanks. I'm ok with it," she lied.

The desk clerk let them in and first led Hank to his room, then guided Buffy up the stairs to  
her room. They passed a room with a closed door and, the old woman  
said. "Here is where Alicia Zapato stays. She always spends her vacations in Collinsport. She's about your age. And this is your room."

The woman opened the door to a very dark room. She went into the  
darkness and raised the curtains. Light flooded the room. She stood at  
the window, motionless for a few moments.

"Look at this. Now, here, you are getting a world-class view of  
Collinsport's soul... if it has one, HAHA! Over there to your right,  
that big gray structure among the trees? That's Collinwood manor. To  
your left is Widows Hill. And directly in from of you, the Collins'  
private cemetery."

"Nothin' like having a cemetery in your own backyard," Buffy sighed.

The woman replied, "The Collins' do what they like. And they help in keeping the town small but thriving."

"So, is this a place where all the spooks kill off the townspeople  
during full moons and stuff?" Buffy looked down and shifted her feet.  
Maybe that girl across the hall, Alicia, would trade rooms with her. She  
would have to work on that.

The woman blinked at her for a minute.  
"I was joking," Buffy said.

"Of course," the woman blinked again, and opened the window. The  
salt air is so refreshing, isn't it"  
"Works for me. I just love that stench of death."

There was a small squeak of fright in the woman's chest, and she  
muttered, "Enjoy the afternoon." and she hurried from the room.

Buffy shook her head, and made a special point to get dad, or Alicia, or anyone, to  
exchange rooms with her.

x-x-x

Well, after just a short time in Collinsport, Buffy was convinced this place was totally evil. But the loss of her dear sweet Angel, weighed heavily on her. She spent part of the evening shuffling about town, occasionally weeping, but trying to figure her life out. Collinsport was evil, but she was too depressed to really care. She was only mildly surprised to be accosted by a vampire on her way back to the inn.

"Don't you look yummy!" the vampire hissed to Buffy.

"Yeh, yummy, crunchy and good with ketchup. But I'm not in the mood, so I suggest you leave me alone."

The female vampire leapt from her perch, blocking Buffy's path.  
"You obviously don't know who you are talking too."  
"I think I do, and you're still bothering me-"

Buffy didn't even finish her sentence before the vampire leapt on her. It didn't take long for Buffy to finish her job once again.

She clutched her stake and looked at the pile of dust at her feet. Shaking her head, she moved off, head down, now even more depressed.  
"Stupid bloodsucker! And she's not even the Big Bad. That's someone else. God, I hope I don't run into them over the next couple days while I'm stuck in this town. I just don't feel like fighting out-of-touch vampires right now."

LATER, THE OLD HOUSE  
"Barnabas, listen to me, you're in serious danger. This aint no ordinary girl. Now remember that homeless lady you turned into a vampire, remember that? Well this girl comes along… she's about 18 or so, and she's in complete control, as she pulls out a stake and BOOM, she wipes out the vampire, just like that, just as if _she was born to kill vampires_... and there's more, she starts talking to herself, insisting there's another vampire around here… you, Barnabas Collins. She was talking to herself about you!"

Willie Loomis pointed a trembling finger. Barnabas sat back in his chair, musing over this news. In almost 200 years in his lonely miserable existence as a vampire, he had received no true threats to his existence.  
"Nonsense Willie. Don't drink, Willie... ever again!"  
"I wasn't... well it wasn't that much!"  
"Willie!" Barnabas warned, menacingly shaking his wolfs-head cane in his direction.

Dr Julia Hoffman came into the house, carrying a box full of medicines. She knew all about Barnabas and his curse, having discovered it when she treated Barnabas' victim, Maggie Evans for severe blood loss and mental trauma. After intense research, Julia came to him one night, astonishing him with the possibility of a medical cure for his vampirism. Through trial and error, and blackmail and deceptive, murderous secrets, they did form a partnership, and somewhere along the line, Julia actually fell in love with Barnabas Collins.

"Is everything ok, gentlemen?" Julia asked, looking at Barnabas with a slight fear. There was a time when he was merely an experiment to her, a real connection between science and the supernatural. But she had suffered with this lonely desperate cursed man for too long, and she eventually fell in love with him.  
"Everything's fine, Dr. Hoffman. Er, I have to take a break from the injections tonight. Willie and I have something we need to do."  
"I see, well, in that case, I'm going to mix up a new batch of serum. It will be ready for you at dawn."  
"Good enough," Barnabas said, and he and Willie retreated to a private room to discuss what to do about this "professional vampire killer."

x-x-x

" I'll tell you a secret, Buffy. This town has a curse on it. I think... no, I'm sure... there's a vampire around somewhere. The girl who worked at this coffee shop, Maggie, she went missing, and then when she came back, she had bite marks on her neck, and she was all pale and bloodless. It was a vampire that got her."  
"So... she's a vampire now? The bloodless girl?"  
Alicia shook her head, sadness and fear in her blue eyes. "She died."  
Alicia sat back with her latte, stroking the rim with her finger. "It's scary!"

"So does anything really exciting happen around here?" Buffy asked.

"You mean other than that? No… I just wish the vampire could be found, and destroyed once and for all."

Buffy thought about that, and then she decided to do a little investigating when night came.  
It was something to do.

x-x-x

While her father was occupied, Buffy carefully surveyed the town. From Widow's Hill to the Collinsport Inn and all points in between. It took her all day, and one hour of that was spent observing the great and horrible house of Collinwood.  
"It sits on a hellmouth!" she realized. The evil emanating from the great manor was practically tangible.  
And the Collins' family practically owned the town!  
"Dammit!" she muttered.  
A little peace and quiet eluded her. Collinsport, Maine was a long way from Sunnydale, California, and still she could never elude her fate.  
"There are vampires here, and I'm the vampire slayer... well, this sucks!"

Chiding herself for such a stupid pun, she turned and ran from the place; it was nearing sunset, and the vampire would make their presence known very soon.  
She was furious at a fate so cruel as to choose here. The life of an ordinary teenage girl was not hers.

 _Because into each generation a slayer is born blah blah and she she was the one chosen to save the world from vampires and demons and the forces of blah blah blah!_  
It was a thankless job and no reward outside of an early, and very violent, death. Then the next would be chosen and Buffy would end up in a catalogue of past slayers, all viciously slaughtered in their teenage years.  
Well there was the knowledge that the next in line would have prophetic visions of past slayers, including Buffy.

"Not now! Not tonight!" she swore, as she ran swiftly back to town. She was so enraged, she made a commitment to kill the vampire who would come for her now.  
"Screw fate! I don't give a shit about the bigger picture now! I deserve to go to the mall and buy new clothes, and fate robbed me of something I had a goddamned right to! So Fate be damned: tonight is my choice. I'll destroy you not because I have to, _but because I can_!"

THE BLUE WHALE-NIGHT

"Perhaps we should talk to Dr. Hoffman. She understood my condition, perhaps she knows something about these vampire-hunters. Perhaps she-"  
"Likes you," Willie mumbled.  
"What was that?" Barnabas asked.

"Just one cup water with ice! I totally respect the curfew, I just got caught up in all the retro skirts at the thrift store!"  
Momentarily distracted, Barnabas looked up at the girl shouting to the bartender.  
"Need to use the restroom!" Willie blurted out.  
"Willie!" Barnabas yelled.  
"Not now, Barnabas!"  
Barnabas was furious. _She likes you!_ What does that mean? Like, as in a romantic way?

 _It's possible that someone might come to you willingly, someone who could accept you for what you are, and submit to your needs?_  
Barnabas recalled Dr. Hoffman's offer to him, frowned as he absently watched the young girl get her to-go cup.  
"Ah!" he moaned, trying to comprehend the idea that Julia Hoffman had designs on him that went above and beyond curing him of his vampirism through modern medicine.  
She was also in love with him!

"Hold this!"

Barnabas looked up to see the shouting girl thrust her to-go cup into his hands. He was even more shocked when she grabbed his precious wolfs-head cane from his side then ran away with it.

How dare she?!

"Sorry, Barnabas. Just, ah, had too much tea, that's it... what happened? Where's your cane?"  
"Come with me now!" he ordered roughly. He was blinded by fury and determined to make the wench pay for her brazen theft.  
He stormed outside, his inverness coal flapping behind him like wings.

"Barnabas it's her!"  
He looked to where Willie pointed, the end of the dock, then he laughed.  
"Let... let it go, Barnabas, it ain't worth it," Willie alerted him while clinging to his coat.  
"Please Willie, you're becoming annoying!"  
"Barnabas, I''m tellin' ya, she's not normal!"  
Barnabas pulled on his coat, then knocked Willie's hands away. "She is but a mere child!"

"You lose something, buddy?!" the girl called out, twirling the cane above her head.  
"And she won't be a problem much longer," Barnabas stated.  
He strolled forward across the dock, ignoring Willie's sobbing.

"That, my dear," Barnabas pointed right at her "is a priceless family heirloom... and it doesn't belong to you."

She pulled it down, and looked at it. She made a face at the silver wolf head. She looked up at Barnabas, all mirth in her eyes gone, and replaced with a well-controlled rage.  
"It does now. Finders keepers!"  
"You little-" he began, running towards her.  
"Come and get it!" she yelled, running away quickly. "Barnabas, no!" Willie cried, but they were both gone. He ran for the car.

Barnabas ran and ran, and the insolent whelp was running about thirty feet ahead.  
Willie was right; she wasn't normal, but that didn't matter. Neither was he.  
Transforming into a bat, he launched into the air, flying high over the trees.  
From high above, he saw her running towards Collinwood.  
"She moves so fast. How is that possible? Surely she can't be as I am?!"  
He continued following her, then carefully alighted on the porch of the Old House, just in time to meet Julia who was on her way back from one of her research expeditions. "Get inside!" Barnabas ordered.  
"But... what?"  
Without a word, he opened the door and shoved her inside.  
"Barnabas!" she called out, as he slammed the door shut.  
Then there was a scream outside. Julia ran to the window, and saw Barnabas. He was fighting with a small woman... no, wait... that was no woman, that was a teenager!

"Barnabas!" she called out, then ran to the door.  
She ran outside, and screamed in horror. Barnabas was flat on his back, and the girl was on top of him in a squatting position, a sharp wooden stick clutched in one hand and the point mere inches from his chest.  
"No!" she cried out, throwing herself in front of the girl, grabbing the stick and trying to pull it away.  
"Please stop! Please, I'll do anything! This isn't what you think. He's not dangerous now! _I cured him!_ What do you want? Why are you doing this?!"  
Julia was practically sobbing her last words, as the girl slowly backed off.

"Tell you what! I'll go my way... " and she walked backwards with the grace of a finely tuned athlete, amazingly avoiding every obstacle behind her. "You go yours. I'm gonna let this go. Sorry about the cane, have your minion fix it."  
With that she was gone.  
"Julia... "Barnabas called to her, as she picked up the broken cane from the ground.  
"Oh, never could I have imagined... such strength in a child... "  
Julia held out the broken cane. "I'll have Willie get to work on it right away. It'll be good as new."  
"Julia, that girl was a second away from destroying me!"  
"Well... she didn't," Julia reminded him, gazing off in the darkness the girl had vanished into.


	2. part2

authors note: I find myself so weirdly conditional and specific about writing and that if certain things are not met exactly I freeze up and can't go on. i only reassure myself, that I am the sum of my parts, and it all works to make me an adequate writer, and I also hope that knowing is half the battle, and somehow I can break out of that kind of thinking.  
Thanks for the review and for reading this, I hope you enjoy part 2.

"Buffy! Buffy over here! Let me buy you a coffee!

Buffy saw as Alicia bounded down the stairs and point to the cafe.

She smiled lightly "Ah... well I have to take a rain check. Going for a run."  
Alicia looked hurt. "But I'm buying. You want me to go with you?"

 _What a nice girl... what a normal girl..._

"I'm fine, thanks. Running alone is my thing," she said with a hint of sadness  
Alicia shrugged. "If that's what you want... oh, hey! There's a pool tournament tonight you should come. It will be a lot of fun."

"Okay, I'll think about that," and she left the inn and and began jogging down the street.  
She then took a detour and made her way down a path towards the old house. She had to talk to Julia Hoffman. She wanted to know, to understand... she wanted to be understood herself, and needed a little companionship.  
Julia Hoffman was in love with a vampire, too!.

x-x-x

"Julia, there you are! I've been looking for you! how are things today," Professor Stokes asked.  
On her way through the labyrinth of the Old House, she stopped and greeted her friend, Timothy Eliot Stokes. "Oh fine. I'm just doing some research. How is Amy?"  
The gray-haired professor sighed sadly. "Still a bit depressed but hanging in there. I don't think I need to tell you how it's been rather complicated, the problems with her brother. Very good of the Collins' to offer to babysit while Chris sorts out the issues he is facing."

"Of course," Julia replied, sticking out her bottom lip and shaking her head slowly "poor Chris." She sadly began to walk off when Stokes stopped her.

"Oh there is someone here to see you, think she's new in town shoulder-length hair, blond; she seemed to be in a good deal of distress so I sent her right to your office."

Julia frowned... new in town shoulder-length hair, blond, in a good deal of distress... _was it that girl?!_

"Best I get back to my babysitting duties Roger should be back by tomorrow, and that Amy is a real handful."

"Yes... try and enjoy your day professor."

Julia went on about her way, worried and curious about this "desperate girl" waiting in her office, when Mrs. Johnson, the maid, said she had a phone call from Willie Loomis at the old house. She thanked the maid and took the call in a room alone.

"Willie, I gave you specific instructions never to call me here!" she practically shouted into the phone.

"I got her Julia... well I think I got her. Pretty sure."  
Julia clenched the phone hard. " _What are you talking about, Willie?!_ "  
His voice got frantic, even excited. "I _got_ her Julia! Yeh, heh heh! She won't be able to hurt Barnabas now! That's great. Isn't that great, Julia?"

"I can't talk to you right now Willie! I'll talk to you later tonight. Don't call here again, Willie!" and then she hung up the phone. Shaking her head she went to her office. and opened the door.

"Oh my God!" Julia practically shouted at the sight before her eyes.

"Think I need help!" Buffy gasped. Julia gaped, but only for a moment, at the girl who nearly killed Barnabas last night, and now curled up on the floor of her office and covered in blood. She rushed over and knelt beside her. "For Heaven's sake what happened to... "

 _"I got her Julia! She won't be able to hurt Barnabas now!"_

Willie Loomis! He did this... somehow.

"Hurts... help... need something for the pa... ahhhh!"

Julia shook her head and pulled the scalpel from Buffy's hand, or rather, tried to.  
The girl was wounded from stabbing herself in the arm, yet her grip on the scalpel was quite strong!  
"Bullet! Out! Help me get... " Buffy gasped, as Julia helped her off the floor.

"Willie shot you! Buffy don't go near him... don't go anywhere near the Old House... here... let me get you on the bed."  
"Doctor!" Buffy choked out.  
"I am a doctor! Just... hold still... "  
Julia got her equipment, and came back. She was shocked to discover the deep gash in the girls arm was already closing, healing.  
"if you can just get the bullet... I think it's rubbing against bone!"

Julia went to work, now stoic, and unfeeling. The girl was a patient in need of medical attention, not the one who nearly ended Barnabas Collins.  
"What's your name anyway?" Julia asked, unable to hide her animosity.  
"I'm... Buffy Summers... ow... ow!"  
Julia scowled at her, gripped her lower arm firmly, pushing her down on the bed "Hold still! It takes a while for the medication to take effect... I should just leave you like this."  
"I wouldn't blame you," she sighed "I _did_ try to kill your boyfriend... no hard feelings."  
Julia's expression softened a bit, as she pulled out the bullet with the tweezers.  
"Give it to me! I want a souvenir!"  
Julia nearly laughed, and dropped the bloody bullet into a tray. The wound was closing again, leaving Julia confused.

This wasn't normal!

Julia went to the sink and began to wash up. "I'll have the maid get you some clean clothes, so you can leave as soon as possible. I want you to leave as soon as possible."

"I just wanted to talk to you... that's all... just talk... I tried to tell the minion that. He had a rifle."  
Her voice was more high pitched now, and more... whiny?"

Hah!" Julia began to laugh, but tried to stifle it so no one heard.

"You bitch! You tried to kill Barnabas, and you just want to talk about it?!"  
"I stopped... you asked me to stop so I stopped."  
The girl... Buffy... her voice was even more high-pitched, almost child-like.  
Julia turned, even more curious now. Buffy was sitting up on the bed, wiping the bullet off with her bloody shirt.  
"Why?" she queried, all the hostility drained from her, now replaced by pure curiosity.  
Julia went over to her. She was looking down, and rolling the bullet around in her fingers.  
Julia crossed her arms over her chest, the anger returning.

"You tried to kill my boyfriend then stopped... for whatever reason... _you owe me an explanation!_ " Julia said firmly.

Buffy nodded, trembling now. The bullet no longer resembled a bullet.  
It resembled a ring.

 _Buffy... What's happening?"_  
 _"Shh. Don't worry about it. I love you."_

"Didn't want... you to be lonely."  
Julia took her by the chin and pulled her head up, now even more confused.  
"Is that true?" she asked calmly.

 _"I love you."_  
 _"Close your eyes."_

"I didn't want you to be lonely," Buffy sobbed, hot tears running down her cheeks. "No one... should be lonely!"  
Julia shook her head slowly, as Buffy broke down, and just held her while she cried bitterly.

x-x-x  
Later that evening

Buffy entered the crowded pool hall and looked around. She pushed her way past fishermen, barflys and everything in between. She finally reached Alicia. Eyes filled with glee, the girl handed Buffy a pool stick.  
"Sorry, I'm way late! I didn't miss anything did I?"  
"We've only been playing for 15 minutes. You're good! Woah, what happened to your arm?!"  
Buffy craned her head to look at her bandaged shoulder. "Oh... uh... fell into a bush."  
"That's an awful big bandage for having fallen in a bush, isn't it?"  
"It had a thorn."  
Alicia laughed. "Ok?" she lined up her stick on the pool table. "Ok, watch this!"

Buffy did watch.

Not only Alicia, but Barnabas Collins as well.  
As she expected, once the sun set, he found her. He tracked her down to the pool hall, and and stood in a dark corner. It was almost enough to make her pissed, but then she remembered Julia, and decided to ignore him.

It was about 45 minutes into the tournament when Buffy's curiosity got the better of her. "Alicia, you got my turn!"  
"I do? Hey, wait! You're doing so well!"

Buffy left the pool table with haste and followed him to a darkened booth in the back room.  
"I hope you're not stalking me," she said briskly.

Barnabas looked up slowly, carefully studying her from head to toe. He smiled disarmingly. "You'll have to forgive me, but you're just a child, with a strength far beyond that of a normal child... rather remarkable. Please! Have a seat! I wish you no harm, Miss... "  
"Just call me Buffy." she sat across from him, watching him carefully. "I'm armed," she warned him.  
"Of course. I do not wish a duel... even if I should... I simply want to chat."  
Buffy slumped down into the booth. "I'm sorry about the cane. Looks like your minion did a nice patch on it. He shot me, by the way." She pointed to her shoulder.  
"Very regrettable," Barnabas frowned, as Buffy dug in her pocket. "I've given him specific instructions to stay away from you during your stay in Collinsport."  
She placed the bullet on the table. "He doesn't get it back. I'm keeping it for a souvenir. I may have it stuffed and hung above the fireplace."  
"My deepest apologies, Buffy. He's very loyal to me... and he was the first to alert me that you might... pose a problem."

"You're different," Buffy admitted "but make no mistake, this was no act of mercy... " Buffy looked away, then back at him. "your girlfriend is why I spared you... she needs you... and I... didn't have the heart to take you away from her."  
Barnabas gripped his cane hard, shifted in the booth and looked away, frowning.  
"My girlfriend... "  
"In case it was lost on you... and obviously it was," she drolled.

Alicia rushed to the booth, looking worried.  
"Can we go? I'm... ah... done with the game! Buffy can we go now?!"

"Soon... he's got a business proposition for my dad and we're discussing details." Buffy smiled assuredly. "Won't be long."  
"Ok," Alicia said meekly, glanced at Barnabas and moved away quickly.

Barnabas looked uncomfortable and fiddled with his cane nervously. "So you... don't plan on killing me?"

She blinked. "Don't give me a reason to. Please. I'd hate to see Jul... Dr. Hoffman... it would break her..."

Barnabas waved over the bartender. "A drink, Buffy?"  
"I'll excuse the pun!"  
He looked at her, harder now. She didn't flinch a bit, no sign of being overtaken by his hypnotic gaze. He frowned.  
"Are you human?"  
She nodded. "I have special powers passed down from generation to generation. Girl to girl. I'm a Vampire Slayer. I''m stronger and tougher than most, but not immortal like you. I won't live that long; I'll dodge left when I should have dodged right, and that will be the end of me... then the next girl is chosen. Maybe even Alicia, I don't know... "

She looked down. "I had a good talk with her... Julia She can tell you what I won't. Like I said, I go my way, you go yours." She got up. "I need to check on Alicia. Remember what I said. Don't give me a reason to stake you. Because I will If I have to. And I'd hate for... Dr Hoffman... "  
She stopped, and left the table fast, heading for the bathroom.

That was where she found Alicia.  
Curled up in the corner of the stall.  
And crying.

"What happened?!" Buffy demanded.  
"I just... need to go back to the... but I can't go alone... _I can't go alone! Buffy, help me!_ "

tbc


End file.
